Abstract: Recycling a metal/organic laminate continuously involves providing a reactor having a first chamber with a first rotary stirrer, a second chamber with a second rotary stirrer, each chamber containing particulate microwave absorbing material, introducing laminate and additional absorbing material into the first chamber under a reducing or inert atmosphere, stirring and applying microwave energy sufficiently to pyrolyze organic material, transferring a portion of the mixture to the second chamber where it is stirred and microwave energy applied to pyrolyze remaining organic material, delaminate or delaminated metal migrating toward and floating on the upper surface of the mixture, where the second stirrer rotates in a horizontal plane and fluidizes the mixture to give the upper surface of the mixture a radial profile biasing metal floating to migrate radially outwardly, and recovering metal from an exit.

Abstract: A continuous method is provided for recycling a metal/organic laminate comprising metal, such as aluminium, laminated with an organic material, the method comprising: providing a reactor (1) comprising a first chamber (2) having a first rotary stirrer (4) and a second chamber (3) having a second rotary stirrer (5), each chamber (2, 3) containing a bed of particulate microwave absorbing material; introducing laminate and additional particulate microwave absorbing material into the first chamber (2) via an inlet (6); under a reducing or inert atmosphere stirring the mixture of particulate microwave absorbing material and laminate in the first chamber (2) using the first rotary stirrer (3) and applying microwave energy in the first chamber (2) to heat the particulate microwave absorbing material to a temperature sufficient to pyrolyse organic material in the laminate; transferring a portion of the mixture in the first chamber (2) to the second chamber (3); stirring the mixture in the second chamber (3) using the